ISLAM AND THE BIBLE

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Preface

We would like at this start to request you not to try to read this work in a hurry. For this is a serious and important religious discussion, that took three years of research. It requires concentration with a clear mind, at a time when you are able to concentrate at best without being interrupted. Take your time; reflect quietly and sincerely on the issues discussed with an open mind. Religion should not be decided because of religious bias, and there should be no compulsion in religion.

We have searched for the truth, the truth of revelation, and the truth of these religious texts. Secondly, if you find us dwelling on certain points and issues a little long—and indeed, we will, please do not get bored. For we will be trying to elucidate in form, and make clear certain points which we find necessary before moving on. If we want to prove a point, we must come up with convincing facts and show evidence, and we will go about that diligently and faithfully. Thirdly, we hope and trust that you do read all this examination and analysis of the Holy Scriptures. You owe it to yourself my dear reader, to read this whole book. This is indeed a sensitive subject, and requires serious attention and concentration. Needless to say that this objective research represents a comprehensive and critical examination of three-world religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It will analyze among other things, the Christian doctrine namely: the Trinity; the Divinity of Jesus; the Divine Sonship of Christ; Atonement; the Crucifixion; Resurrection; the Four Canonic Gospels; the Torah; the Old and New Testaments; the Quran; Islam; the Prophet of Islam; the Truth of God's Revelations (with emphasis on the true personality of Jesus) and more.

This work is, in fact, an objective research of how these three world religions came down to us. How their religious texts were written, who wrote them, and how authentic are today's texts. We have examined the Holy Scriptures faithfully and at length, as they are written in their respective texts, and pointed out the true facts. We have separated what belongs to revelation, from what is the product of human elements, errors and interpretations. We compared the contents of these religious texts to arrive at the truth—the truth of religion, and the religion of truth. We must say, that the reader will be immensely disturbed to read the comments of respected theologians, scholars, and highly qualified specialists in the field of comparative religion. Pointing out successive distortions, contradictions, improbabilities, exaggerated facts, and descriptions incompatible with reality that is the sole product of the human imagination. Authors were not eyewitnesses to events.

Our purpose in all this, and our sole and primary goal, is to put into focus the truth of these religious texts, and the truth of God's revelations. You owe it to yourself our dear reader, to read this objective research from beginning to end so that you may be guided. If you are concerned about your spiritual life, where you are going, and you are willing to read all of this with an open mind—without bias, then this book will give you guidance.

False are the people who corrupt God's truth, and as God Said, "Let there be no compulsion in religion." We shall tackle this work this way. First, we will dwell at a substantial length on the Quran, and how it came to be written, with emphasis on Islam and the Prophet of Islam. After we have established our bearing on this, we will move to an examination of the gospels and their authors. Then we will go on to the books of the Old Testament, the Hebraic Bible, and how they came down to us with comments of respected theologians, scholars, and highly qualified specialists in the field of comparative religion. In addition, we will reinforce all that with appropriate quotations and readings, wherever applicable, from all the Holy Scriptures to prove the point.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Oneness & Universality of God’s Message

The Oneness and Universality of God's Message requires that people accept all the messengers of God. Rejecting one of them amounts to rejecting them all. The Jews reject Jesus' mission and Muhammad's mission. The Christians reject Muhammad's mission, whereas the Muslim's accept them all, and respect Jesus as they love and respect the Prophet Muhammad, but reject incorrect historical interpretations, and human elements in these missions. Islam makes no difference between any of these. Their message in essence was one, and that is the basis of Islam. What then is the truth? The truth of religion, and the religion of truth? The truth of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran, and the truth of the Messengers of God and their missions? Each of these three monotheistic religions possess it's own collection of scriptures. Whether the faithful are the Muslims, Christians or Jews, these documents constitute the foundation of their belief. For them, they are the material transcription of a Divine Revelation.

An Examination of the Scriptures

In this work, we intend to tackle only one single aspect—the examination of the scriptures themselves, as they are written in their respective texts. Before proceeding to this task, we must ask a fundamental question. How authentic are today's texts? It is a question, which contains an examination of the circumstances surrounding their composition, and the way in which they have come down to us.

Judaism has its Holy book, the Hebraic Bible. This differs from the Old Testament of the Christian's in that, the latter have included several books, which did not exist in Hebrew. In practice, this divergence hardly makes any difference to their doctrine. Judaism does not admit any revelation subsequent to its own.

Christianity has taken the Hebraic Bible for itself, and added a few supplements to it. It has not, however, accepted all the published writings destined to make known to men, the mission of Jesus. The Church has made incisive cuts in the profusion of books relating to the life and teachings of Jesus. It has only preserved a limited number of writings in the New Testament; the most important of which are the four Canonic Gospels. Christianity takes no account of any revelation after Jesus and His apostles. Therefore rules out the Quran.

The Quranic Revelation appeared six centuries, that is six hundred years after Jesus. It continues the data found in the Hebraic Bible and the Gospel, since it quotes very frequently from the Torah and the Gospels. The Quran directs all Muslims to believe in the scripture that precedes it. Surah 4:136 of the Holy Quran reads:

“O ye who believe! Believe in God and His Messenger, and the Scripture, which He has sent to His Messenger, and the Scriptures, which He sent to those before him. Any who denieth God, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment has gone far, far astray.”

Quranic Position on the Messengers of God.

The Quran stresses the important position occupied in the Revelation by God's emissaries such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the Prophet Jesus to whom they allocate a special position. Jesus’ birth is described in the Quran, and likewise in the Gospels as a supernatural event. Mary is also given a special place as may be seen by the fact that Surah 19 of the Holy Quran bears her name.

We must note here that the facts concerning Islam are not generally known in the West. It is hardly surprising when we consider the way so many generations in the West were instructed in the religious problems facing humanity, and in what ignorance they were kept in about anything related to Islam.

The use of such terms as Muhammadan religion and Muhammadans, has been instrumental even to the present day in maintaining the false notion that Islam was spread by the work of a man, among which God in the Christian sense had no place. People did not speak of Muslims, but Muhammadans to make it quite clear that what was meant, was a religion founded by a man, and which could not therefore have any kind of value in terms of God. They do not understand that the very definition of Islam, is complete submission to the will of God.

If all three religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are claiming to emanate from the one and same Creator, why do they differ? We can answer that by saying, that all prophets from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all) were sent with the same message, that is the total submission of mankind to God. This submission in Arabic is called Islam. Islam also means peace, peace between the Creator and His creatures, unlike the name Judaism and Christianity. This name Islam has been given by God, the Creator Himself, as mentioned in Surah 5:3 in the Holy Quran.

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, and completed My favor on you, and have chosen for you as the way of life, Al-Islam as your religion.”

It must be pointed out here, and clearly stated. that acts of violence undertaken by so-called Muslim extremist groups cannot be attributed, nor have anything to do with Islam, for Islam is a religion of peace—peace between the Creator and His creation.

Basis of the names of Judaism and Christianity

Neither Judaism nor Christianity can be found in the Bible, or in a Biblical Dictionary. No Israelite prophet mentioned the word Judaism. Jesus never claimed to establish Christianity on earth, and never called himself Christian. The word Christian is mentioned only three times in the New Testament, and first by Pagans and Jews in Antioch about 43 AD, long after Jesus had left this earth. Acts 2:26 reads: “and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, later by King Agrippa the II to Paul in Acts 26:28 “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” So the name Christian was first given by foes rather than by friends, and finally by Peter in his letter to comfort the faithful in 1 Peter 4:16 “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed;...”

The first Muslim on earth was not Muhammad, but Abraham who submitted totally to God. Abraham was a true man of God. He could not be called a Jew or a Christian, as he lived long before the Law of Moses, or the Gospel of Jesus was revealed. The Holy Quran says in Surah 3:65-68:

“Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian, but he was true in faith and bowed his will to God, which is Islam, and he joined not gods with God. Ye People of the Book, why dispute ye about Abraham when the Law and the Gospel were not revealed till after him, have ye no understanding? Why dispute ye in matters of which ye have no knowledge? It is God who knows, and ye who know not. Without a doubt among men the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him as are also this Prophet and those who believe.”

Islam as a way of life, had been revealed to other prophets prior to Abraham, like Adam and Noah. Then Islam follows as the way of life for all humanity. Many cultivated people today, are interested in the philosophical, social, and political aspects of Islam, but they do not pose to inquire about the Islamic revelation itself, as indeed they should. If we take into consideration the objective facts of religious history, we must place the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Quran, on the same level as being collections of written revelations. Although this attitude is in principle held by Muslims, the faithful in the West under the predominantly Judeo-Christian influence, refuse to ascribe to the Quran—the character of a Book of Revelation.

The Truth About Religion

What then is the truth? The truth of religion, and the religion of truth? On the other hand, let us put it more bluntly and ask who holds the right religion, and the right belief? This is an objective and critical examination of the Old Testament, the Bible, and the Quran, and how they came to be written with emphasis on the true personalities of Jesus, and Muhammad. These are essential facts and differences between three world religions condensed in this work. We believe it is a revelation to those who are searching for the true belief, where their minds may find rest, peace, and satisfaction. We shall first start with the Holy Quran, and will dwell at a substantial length on the circumstances in which it was promulgated. Then we will move to a discussion on Islam, the religion that the Quran brought to the world, and has become the world’s second largest religion, and is the fastest growing religion in the world today.

Muhammad and The Quran.

We must at the outset ask, how could Muhammad (peace be upon him) go from being illiterate to become the most important author in terms of literary merit in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature, which no other human being could possibly have developed at the time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncements on the subject? It is inconceivable for a human being; living in the sixth century to have expressed assertions in the Quran on highly varied scientific subjects that do not belong to his period. And for them to be in keeping with what was to be revealed centuries later. How can an unlettered man, who lived in the sixth century (that is fourteen hundred years ago) at a time when Europe and the whole world was sunk in the Dark Ages, come down blazing with such scientific knowledge and wisdom? For the Quran is high in dignity, full of wisdom.

In view of the state of knowledge in Muhammad's day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Quran could have been the work of man. It is moreover perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Holy Quran as the expression of a revelation; but also to award it a very special place because of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements, which when studied today, appears as a challenge to human explanation. Can the unbelievers produce one like it? This is a standing challenge, and eternal prophecy of mankind's inability to equal, or excel, or to rival successfully any of its chapters. Here is the challenge of God Himself in His own words. This Quran is not such as can be produced by other than God. Surely, God Says the Truth. Thanks to its undisputed authenticity, the Quran holds a unique place among the books of revelation shared neither by the Old nor by the New Testaments.

The Quranic Revelation was made by Archangel Gabriel brought the Quranic Revelation to Muhammad—the Messenger of God. It took place over a period of more than twenty years of the Prophet’s life beginning with the first verses of Surah 96. Then resuming after a three year break for a long period of twenty years up to the death of the Prophet in 632 AD, that's how it began. There was a cave in the side of Mt. Hirah, in the Arabian Peninsula, some three miles north of the City of Mecca in a valley, which turns left from the road to Arafat, which Muhammad used to retire for peaceful contemplation days and nights, with his Lord. One day during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan in the year 610 AD when Muhammad was in deep meditation in that cave, a dazzling vision of beauty and light overpowered his senses, and he heard the word "Iqra” or read. Muhammad was “ummi” or unlettered, and was unable to read. He trembled with awe and said, “Enni lasto be qareh: I cannot read." The Angel embraced him, and the cry came clear, "Iqra: read.” And so it had happened three times. The Angel embraced him and said, "Read in the name of thy Lord, who created man from something which clings—read. Thy Lord is Most Bountiful who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." These were the first revelations of Surah 96 of the Holy Quran. The exact words of God delivered in the Arabic language by the Archangel to Muhammad were the following:

“Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Iqra bismi Rabbikallazii khalaq, Khalaqal-‘insaana min alaq, Iqra wa Rabbukal-‘Akram. Allazi Allama Bil Qalam. Allamal Insaana Ma Lam Ya’lam.”

This was the first Divine call revealed to Muhammad. As we have seen the first revelation of God through His Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad, was the word Iqra, which means read, in Surah 96:1-5 of the Holy Quran. As he was illiterate, he replied, "I cannot read." This first revelation was prophesied in the Christian Bible in Isaiah 29:12. The Bible says, “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.” (Isaiah 29:12) These revelations came in installments and inserted in certain order in the Quran as ordained by God. It was also mentioned in Isaiah 28:10, 11. The Bible here it says: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people.” (Isaiah 28:10, 11) Another tongue means here, another language, not Hebrew or Aramaic, but Arabic.

Because of their importance, let us recite these verses from the Bible one more time. As we have seen, the first Revelation of God through His archangel Gabriel to Muhammad was the word Iqra which means read. In Surah 96:1-5 of the Holy Quran:

“As he was illiterate, he replied, "I cannot read."”

This first revelation was prophesied in the Christian Bible in Isaiah 29:12. The Bible says, And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. (Isaiah 29:12) These revelations came in installments, and inserted in certain order in the Quran as ordained by God. It was also mentioned in Isaiah 28:10, 11. The Bible here says, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people." (Isaiah 28:10, 11) Another tongue means here, another language, not Hebrew or Aramaic, but Arabic. This was the first Divine Call revealed to Muhammad.

The appearance of Archangel Gabriel was a strange experience for the Holy Prophet. The first overpowering sensation, and the grasp of the words, made clear the Angel’s mission. It's author—God the Creator. Its subject— man: Gods’ wondrous handy work. And the instrument of that mission, the sanctified pen, and the sanctified book, the gifts of God which men might read, study, and treasure in their souls. The veil was lifted from the chosen one's eyes, and his soul for a moment was filled with Divine Ecstasy. The Mount of Hirah hence forth known as the Mount of Light (Jebalenur), the place where Muhammad received the first revelations.

It seems that the Mount is the sublime word and place of revelation. In the case of Moses, it is typified by Mt. Sinai (Jebalusina). In the case of Jesus, it is the Mount of Olive (Jebaluz-Zaiton) where Jesus made his striking pronouncement about the judgment to come. And in the case of Muhammad it is the mount of light (Jebalenur) where the divine inspiration made him one with the spiritual world. God says, in Surah 97 in the Holy Quran:

“We have indeed revealed this message is the Night of Power and what will explain to thee, what the Night of Power is. The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the Angels as the Spirit, by God's permission on every errand. Peace this until the rise of moon.”

This is Surah the Night of Power, or Honor of the Holy Quran. Blessed indeed is the night of power, when the Mercy of God's revelation breaks through the darkness of the human soul. These messages came as inspiration to Muhammad on different occasions, and in different places. He recited them, and the pen recorded them. They were imprinted on his heart and mind, and on the memory of his loving disciple. As the body of sacred scripture grew, it was arranged for purposes of public prayer and reading. This is the Book, the reader, the Holy Quran.

Muhammad’s Mission:

Behold there was born into the world of sin the unlettered prophet, noble of birth, but nobler still in the grace and wisdom of human love, and human understanding. Muhammad came in the fullest blaze of history. With no learning, he put to shame the wisdom of the learned with pasture folk he lived and worked, and won their love. In hills and valleys, caves and deserts he wondered, but never lost his way to truth and righteousness. Against all odds, he stood forth to preach, to declare the one niversal God, the Gracious, the Merciful and to lead men to the right, and forbid the wrong. He stood up to inform the people of God's Commandments, and save them from the wrong path—an evil way of life.

The Holy Prophet continued preaching the right path, and paid no attention to the frowns and frets of the Qureshi leaders. Many gentle people accepted the new faith, and were put under trials. The wicked adopted every method to tyrannize the Holy Prophet and his few companions. They laid stones and rubbish in his way. Made fun of him, and he offered prayers. They spread rumors about him as a poet, or wizard, or insane. Although he was subjected to all kinds of persecution, he remained firm in his mission like a rock.

When the Holy Prophet did not stop from his mission, the Meccan chiefs decided to approach his uncle to stop him. A group of chief representatives met Abdul-talib, and gave him a grim warning, that either he stops his nephew or be prepared for suffering. Seeing the combined force of Meccan chiefs, Abdul-Talib asked the Holy Prophet not to put him in trouble.

Muhammad had a firm faith in the Almighty, and did not care for any support. He said, "O my beloved uncle, I will not stop preaching the truth and renounce my mission even though they place the Sun in my right hand and Moon in my left. Either God will give me success, or I will be sacrificed for it." The Holy Prophet then wept before Abu-Talib. The weeping of the Holy Prophet and the force of his words, touched the feelings of Abu-Talib and he assured him, "O my nephew don't lose heart, go ahead with your mission and preach what you like, now nobody will harm you anymore."

Seeing the failure of their missions, the Qureshi chalked out another plan. They sent Rudbah Benrabiah, a famous diplomat of Arabia to tackle the Holy Prophet. He said to him, "O Muhammad, don't divide the people of the land, let the Qureshi follow their old way, and accept anything you want in return. If it's money, take any amount you need. If a beautiful wife, select the most beautiful girl from the Arabs. If power, they could make you our King. Take whatever you desire, but for God's sake, give up your mission."

In reply the Holy Prophet recited verses from the Holy Quran, some of which are as follows:

“Say unto them: O Muhammad, I am only mortal like you. It is inspired in me that your God is one God. Therefore take the straight path unto him and seek forgiveness of him, and move unto the idolaters. Thus have we sent by inspiration to thee an Arabic Quran, that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities, and all around her, and warn them of the Day of Assembly of which there is no doubt. When some will be in the garden, and some in the blazing fire. Have they taken for worship, protectors besides Him? But it is God, He is the Protector, and it is He who gives life to the dead. It is He who has power over all things.”

“The same religion as He established for you, as that which He enjoined on Noah. That which We have sent by inspiration to thee, and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus namely that he should remain steadfast in religion, and make no division therein. It is God who has sent down the Book in truth as the balance by which to weigh conduct. The revelation of the book is from God. They exhort in power full of wisdom. We created not the heavens and the earth, and all between them, but for just ends, and for a term appointed. But those who reject faith, turn away from that whereof they are warned.”

“Do ye see what it is ye invoke besides God? Show me what it is they have created on earth or they have a share in the heavens. Bring me a book revealed before this. He is the one that accepts repentance from His servants and forgives sins, and He knows all that ye do. And He listens to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, and gives them increase of his bounty. But for the unbelievers there is a terrible penalty. We destroyed aforetime populations round about you. And We have shown the signs in various ways that they may turn to Us. Why then was no help forthcoming to them from those whom they worshipped as gods beside God, as a means of access to God? Nay, they left them in the lurch, but that was their falsehood, and their invention.”

“O our people harken to the one who invites you to God, and believe in Him, He will forgive you, your souls, and deliver you from a penalty grievous. If any does not harken to the one who invites us to God, he cannot frustrate God's plan on earth, and no protectors can he have besides God. Such men wonder in manifest error.”

“Harken ye to your Lord before there comes a day when there will be no putting back because of the ordainment of God. That day there will be for you no place of refuge, nor will there be for you any room for denial of your sins. Say, I am no bringer of new fangled doctrine among the Messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I follow, but that which is revealed to me by inspiration. I am but a Warner open and clear. If then they turn away, we have not sent thee as a guard over them. Thy duty is to convey The Message. Therefore, do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage men's affairs. But if any turns away and rejects God, God will punish him with a mighty punishment, for to us will be their return, then it will be for Us to call them to account. It is not fitting for a man, that God should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal with God's permission what God wills. For He is Most High—Most Wise, and thus have We by Our Command sent inspiration to thee, thou knewest not before. But We have made the Quran a light wherewith we guide such of our servants as We Will. And verily, thou dost guide men to the straight way, the way of God, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens, and whatever is on earth. Behold of all affairs tend towards God.”

When Otbah Benrabiah, the famous diplomat of Arabia heard the Holy Words of God, he was changed, and he brought it back to the Quresh. "I swear these words are not poetry, this noble language is not the language of man. Leave him on his way. If he succeeds, that would be a honor for you. Otherwise his failure will stop him from his mission."

But the Quresh were not agreeable at all with his proposal. They left no stone unturned in opposing the Holy Prophet. But, to no avail for they saw their own doom and destruction in the rising power of Islam. The Holy Prophet continued to follow the Divine Call with full determination and courage. For three and twenty years in patience, conflict, hope, and final triumph that this Prophet of God receive and teach the Message of the Most High.

The Gathering, Collection and Preservation of the Quran

One of the themes of this first revelation, was the praise of the pen as a means of human knowledge. Who taught man by the pen what he did not know? This would explain the Prophet’s concern for the preservation of the Quran in writing. At the same time however, the Prophet recommended the faithful to learn the Quran by heart. Thus there were hafizun. Hafizun are those who memorize, who knew the whole of the Quran by heart, and spread it abroad. The method of doubly preserving the text, both in writing and by memorization, proved to be extremely precious. We know that the Prophet and the believers, who surrounded him, were accustomed to reciting the revealed text from memory. It is therefore inconceivable for the Quran to refer to facts that did not square with reality, because the latter could so easily be checked with people in the Prophet's following.

The result of all this, is a text containing an order of Surahs that reflects the order followed by the Prophet in his complete recital of the Quran during the month of Ramadan. It is not unusual therefore, to find people in the Arab world today, particularly the Imams of the Mosques who know all the Quran by heart. And then the story tells how every year in the month of Ramadan, the Prophet would recite the whole of the Quran, so far revealed, to Archangel Gabriel, that in the Ramadan preceding the Prophet's death, Gabriel had made him recite it twice.

One might perhaps ponder the motives that lead the first three Caliphs, especially Osman, to commission collections and recensions of the text. The reasons are in fact very simple. Islam's expansion in the very first decades following the Prophets death was very rapid indeed. Absolutely essential steps had to be taken to ensure the spread of a text that retained its original purity. Osman’s recension has this as its objective. He sent copies of the text to the centers of the Islamic Empire. That is why original copies of the Quran still exist today in Tashkent in Russia, in Istanbul Turkey, and a third one in Saudi Arabia. These are the first three copies of the Quran still in existence today, since the past fourteen hundred years.

That's how the Quran was preserved. We know that it contains one hundred and fourteen Surahs, two hundred and thirty-six verses totaling seventy-seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-four words (77,934). There were seventy-seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-four words, fourteen hundred years ago, and there are the same seventy-seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-four words today. There can be no change or alteration in the Holy Quran. This is a Book well kept. This is a Revelation from the Lord of the world.

It is obvious therefore, that the Holy Quran does not give rise to any problems of authenticity. One has to point out that the Quranic revelation has a history which is fundamentally different from the two other world religions. As stated earlier, it spanned a period of some twenty-three years, and as soon as it was transmitted to the Prophet (verse by verse) for those twenty-three years, believers learned it by heart. It must also be pointed out, that not like the other religious texts, it was written down during the Prophet's time. The sixty-six books of the Bible were written over a period of several hundred years, by at least forty different authors. The Quran was revealed to one man written during his lifetime, and it is a continuation of the Old and New Testament.

The Quran is free from human manipulation. It provides a quality all of its own. Indeed Muhammad himself was an unlettered man. He could neither read nor write at that time. It was all by Divine Inspiration. This is the miracle of the Quran. A Holy Book, after fourteen hundred years, stands today as the most important book in the world. There's no book like it. You can appreciate it in any translation, but much, much more in the language it came down from heaven. I can tell you, there's no Arabic in the whole wide world like God's Arabic. It's verses are well coined, compassionate, merciful and sometimes very scary indeed, in fact some verses have until now been impossible to interpret.

Authorship of the Quran

There is a chapter in the Holy Quran called Surat Mariam ‘Mary’, named in honor of Mary the mother of Jesus of Christ. Such an honor is not to be found given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Out of the sixty-six books of the Protestants, and seventy-three of the Roman Catholics, not one is named after Mary or Jesus. You will find books named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, and two score more obscure names, but not a single one is that of Jesus or Mary. If Muhammad was the author of the Holy Quran, then he would not have failed to include in it Surahs named after his own mother—Amena, his dear wife—Khadijah, or his beloved daughter Fatimah, with the Surah named after Mary the mother of Jesus. But no, this can never be. The Quran is not his handwork. If Muhammad were the author, why would he choose Mary for such high honor? The answer is simple, he had no choice. He had no right to speak of his own desire. It is no less than an inspiration sent down to him.

It seems that God in His own knowing and infinite wisdom chose an illiterate man to reveal His Holy Book. Here we can clearly see God's supreme wisdom, and the kinds of people He chooses to convey His revelations. He chose Moses to go to Pharaoh. In Surah 20:24-32 of the Holy Quran, God says in addressing Moses:

"Go thou to Pharaoh for he has indeed transgressed all bounds."

Moses said,

"O my Lord, expand me my chest, ease my task for me, and remove the impediment from my speech, so they may understand what I say, and give me a minister from my family Haroon, Aaron my brother. Add to my strength through him, and make him share my task."

God said,

"Granted is thy prayer O’ Moses."

The Almighty chose a virgin to conceive and bear a son. Surah 19:17-22 of the Holy Quran, which is Surah Mary, says:

"Then We sent to her our Angels, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. Mary said, "I seek refuge from thee to Allah Most Gracious, come not near if thou doest fear Allah." He said, "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord to announce to thee the gifts of the Holy son." She said, "How shall I have a son, see that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?" He said, "So it will be, thy Lord saith that it's easy for me, and we wish to appoint him as a sign unto men, as a mercy from us, it is a matter so decreed." So she conceived him, and she retired with him to her remote place.”

In Surah 2 of the Holy Quran we read, that those who battle for God as shown by the courage of David who single handedly disposed of the Philistines in the story of David and Goliath. And here, in the case of Muhammad, the Almighty chose an illiterate man to reveal His Holy Book, for Muhammad could neither read nor write at that time. These are the Miracles of God, and this is the Miracle of His Holy Book—the Quran, and the testimony of it's Divine origin.

In addressing Muhammad (peace be upon him), God said in Surah 4:166 of the Holy Quran:

“But God beareth witness that what He has sent unto thee He sent from His own knowledge, and the Angels bear witness, but enough is God for a witness.”

Surely, God says the truth.

The Quran was revealed to Muhammad by inspiration. The proof of his divine authorship is it's own beauty and nature, and the circumstances in which it was promulgated. Can the unbelievers produce one like it? This is a standing challenge, and eternal prophesy of mankind's inability to equal, or excel, or to rival successfully any of its chapters. Here is the challenge of God Himself in His own words. “This Quran is not such as can be produced by other than God. If the whole of mankind and jinn’s were to gather together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support. Or do they say he forged it? Say bring them a Surah like unto it, and call to your aid anyone you can, besides God, if it be ye speak the truth. And if ye are in doubt as to what we have revealed from time-to-time to our servant, then produce a Surah like there unto. But if you cannot, and for a surety ye cannot, then fear the fire, whose fuel is men and stones which is prepared for those who reject faith. Surely, God says the truth.”

Here God is saying, if there is anyone besides God who can inspire spiritual truth in such noble language, then produce evidence. Or is it, that your doubts are mainly argumentative— refractory, against your own Inner Light or conscience. All true revelation is itself a miracle, and stands on its own merit.

It is now fourteen hundred years since the above challenges, but mankind has singularly failed to produce anything similar, or something better. This is the authenticity of the Quran and how it came to be written.

The Spread of Islam, Arabic Language and Islamic Culture

Islam was to prevail. Within decades the above promise became true; Islam prevailed. The two super powers of the day, the Persian and the Roman Empires crumbled at the hands of the Muslims. In the sacred City of pagan Arabia, shone the light that spread in all directions. It was the central place for the bounds of the world. It made the Arabs a leading nation of culture and science of organized enterprise, law and arts, with a feel for the conquest of nature and its mysteries. After the fall of Rome there came the birth of Islam, and the rapid expansion of Islam, North, South, East and West. In time the Arabs spread Islam halfway around the globe, from Morocco in the West, to Indonesia in the East, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. And at a time when Europe was sunk in the Dark Ages, Arab scholars were swapping ideas of a more advanced sort. They woke Europe from its slumber, and ushered Europe to its renaissance.

As George Sartan the great historian in Harvard University, in his outstanding introduction to his book Momentual Self, from the half of the eighth century to the end of the eleventh century, the Arabic language was the language of science, and the language of progress for humanity. And when the western world became sufficiently mature to feel the need for deep knowledge, it directed its attention first, not to great references but to competent Arabic works and authorities, and turned in the twelfth century to translate the various scientific works and history of the Muslim Arabs.

The development and indeed the very creation of European medicine, is unthinkable without the Arab's contribution. Al Razi, by Medieval Europe, was universally considered one of the outstanding authorities in medical history, who authored more than two hundred medical books and encyclopedias used by doctors and students throughout Europe well into the fifteenth century. Perhaps the most renowned of all Islamic philosopher-scientists was Ibn-Sina (Aviecnna), renowned in philosophy, natural sciences, and mathematics. He produced sixteen books on medicine, including the Qanoon or Cannon, a work of one million words. This encyclopedia dealing with every then known disease, treatment, medication and food was the medical curricula at European Universities throughout the fifteenth century.

Ibne Khaldun developed an unprecedented science of civilization to explain the rise and fall of societies. Said the twentieth century historian Arnold Toynbee. “Ibne Khaldun conceived and formulated a philosophy of history, which is undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever yet been created by any mind at any time.” Ibne al Haisam the great Arab scientist-physicist, preceded Newton the seventeenth century English physicist in introducing the theory of relativity, and has written more than two hundred books dealing in physics. So did Al Farabi the famous Islamic philosopher, and several others.

Islamic Contributions to Modern Society

The West will also have to acknowledge and accept Muslim Arab contributions to modern society. We have given a deaf ear to the term Arabic numbers, which forms the basis of our entire technological and computerized advances. The Arabic numbers, which we are using today together with the great concepts of the zero, and the dozen have substantially reduced the Roman numerals. Do you realize that you need eleven Roman numerals to write nineteen ninety-four. Scientific progress in the West would have been impossible if scientists remained dependent on the Roman numerals deprived of the flexibility, and ease of the decimal Arabic numerals.

There's no room here to enumerate the various Muslim Arab contributions to western world and modern society. Had it not been for the tremendous contributions made by the Muslim Arabs in the field of learning, European Renaissance would have been doubtful. All this was realized with the advent of Islam, and within only one hundred years after the death of the Prophet of Islam. For eight hundred years the power of Islam predominated, and brought with it enlightenment and knowledge to the world in the sciences, medicine, physics, astronomy, geometry, algebra, mathematics, philosophy, architecture, etc., etc. Indeed Islam brought light and knowledge to the world when it needed it most.

Alas, the Muslims are in the doldrums today, but the world of Islam is arising. The voice of the Muslims will soon be heard loud and clear, not only in the call for prayer. Even a non-Muslim visionary in the West has predicted its destiny to be in the skies. H.G. Wells writes under The Shape of Things to Come: Africa is a field for all religions, but the religion which the African will accept, is a religion which best suits his needs, and that religion everyone who has a right to speak on the subject says is Islam. George Bernard Shaw writes: If any religion has a chance of conquering England, nay Europe, within the next hundred years, that religion is Islam. Without any real effort on the part of the Muslims we are told by the Westerners themselves, that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world today.

The world population has increased 136% from 1934 through 1984. Christianity with 47%, and Islam with 235%, that is five times as much, and has gone much higher in recent years according to the World Almanac, and The Book Of Facts 1935, and Readers Digest Almanac and Year book 1983. No other religion in history spreads as rapidly as Islam. Islam is not spreading by the sword, but simply by propagation by individuals, or groups of Muslims. Muslims don't have special missions organized such as Christian missions. The Muslims believe that soon a quarter of the people of the world will be Muslims. That Islam will eventually dominate the world.

The Truth of Islam

The Quran has opened our eyes to the truth. The truth of Islam, and the truth of the other religions. This great revelation has been emphasized three things. In Surah 18:1-4 we read:

“Praise be to God who hath sent to His Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein no Crookedness. First, He hath made it Straight and clear, in order that He may warn the godless of a terrible punishment from Him. Second, that He may give glad tidings to the believers who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a good reward Wherein they shall remain forever. Third, that He may warn those who say, God has begotten a Son. No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying. What they say is nothing but falsehood.

In Surah 6:101, 102 we read further:

“How can He have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He has full knowledge of all things. That is God, your Lord. There is no God but He, the Creator of all things. Then worship ye Him, and He has power to dispose of all affairs.”

Surely, God Saith The Truth. The Quran is above all things straight, clear, and descriptive. Its directions are clear for everyone to understand. God's purpose is to give clear warning of spiritual dangers, and lead up to the highest bliss. The warning here is not only needed for those who deny God or deny His message, but also for those whose false ideas of God degrade religion in supposing that God begot a Son. For God is one, and is high above any ideas of physical reproduction.

Divine Sonship of Jesus

The attribution of a son begotten to God has no basis, in fact or in reason. It is only a word or saying that issues out of their mouths. It cannot be explained in any way that is consistent with the sublime attributes of God. In the first few verses of Surah The Criterion (Al Furqan), which is Surah 25, the Holy Quran says:

“Blessed is He who sent down The Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures. He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion. It is He who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions. Yet have they taken beside Him gods that can create nothing but are themselves created, that have no control of hurt or good to themselves, nor can they control Death, nor Life, nor Resurrection. The Quran was sent down by Him who knows the mystery that is in the heavens and the earth. Verily He is oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Surely, God says the truth. This is the Quran—the word of God, his true revelation. It is The Criterion by which we may judge between right and wrong. Between false and true worship. Between the message that comes from God Almighty, and the forgeries of men. Between the real in our eternal future, and the fancies by which we are mislead. God says, in Surah 16:51, as in many other Surahs in the Holy Quran:

“Take not for worship two gods, for He is just one God. Then fear Me, and Me alone.”

Likewise the Prophet of Islam said, "I am but a man like yourselves, but the inspiration has come to me, that your God is one God." This is the first distinction taught in The Criterion to know the attribute of the true God as against the false fancies of men.

The Bible, The Trinity and The Quran

Jesus called himself Son of Man, and refused to be called son of God. We read in Luke 4:41 in the Holy Bible; “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuked them. Suffered them not to speak;...” It is clear here that He refused to be called son of God. He refused again in Luke 9:20, 21 and charged them too. “He (Jesus) said unto them, (the disciples) but whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And he straight by charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;” Jesus is also called Prophet in John 7:40; Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16 and 24:19. God tells us in the Holy Quran over and over and over again, that no son did he beget, nor is there any god or partner along with Him. The Jews said that Jesus (peace be upon him) was the illegitimate son of Mary, because he could not point a finger to a father. The Christians for the same reason made him into a god, and the begotten son of God. The Holy Quran says, in Surah 4:171:

“O people of the Book, do not go into extremes in your religion, nor say of God anything but truth. Verily Christ Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger of God, and His Word which He bestowed upon Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers. Say not trinity; desist it will be better for you. For your God is one God. Glory be to Him, for exalted is He, above having a son. To Him belongs all things in the heavens and the earth. And enough is God as a Disposer of affairs.”

Surely, God Says the Truth. Just as his foolish servant may go wrong by excess of zeal for his master, so in religion people's excesses, may lead them to blasphemy, or a spirit the very opposite of religion. The Jewish excesses with direction of formalism, radicalism, exclusiveness, and rejection of Christ Jesus, have been denounced in many places in the Holy Quran. Here the Christian's attitude is condemned, which raises Jesus to an equality with God, in some cases venerating Mary almost to idolatry, attributes a physical son to God, and invents the doctrine of the Trinity opposed to all reason, which according to the Athenasian Creed, unless a man believes he is doomed to hell forever.

Note that God never called Jesus My son in the Holy Quran. But He always called him the son of man. The men, whom God's truth has been committed for promulgation to mankind, will be asked in the hereafter how the truth faired in the world. How it was received, and who opposed it. Like all trustees they will have to give a full account of their trust. God knows all, and it will not add to His information, but it will be evidenced for and against those to whom it was preached. As God says, in Surahs 33, 35 and 39 of the Holy Quran in addressing the Prophet Muhammad:

“Thou art no other than a Warner. Verily We have sent thee in truth as a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and as a Warner. There never was a people without a Warner having lived among them in the past. And if they reject thee, so did their predecessors to whom came their messengers with clear signs, scriptures and the book of enlightenment. In the end, did I punish those who rejected faith, and how terrible was My rejection of them. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. At the end to your Lord is your return, when He will tell you the truth of all that He didn't in this life. For He knoweth well all that is in men's hearts.”

“Have ye seen these partners of yours whom ye call upon besides God? Show me what it is they have created in the wide earth, or have they a share in the heavens. Have We given them a book from which they can derive clear evidence? Nay, the wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusions. It is God who sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they cease to function. And if they should fail there is none, not one who can sustain them thereafter. Verily He is Most Forbearing, oft Forgiving.”

“And remember We took from the prophets their covenant as we did from thee. From Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary, We took from them a solemn covenant, that God may question the custodians of truth concerning the truth they were charged with. And He has prepared for the unbelievers a grievous penalty. We have not sent thee but as a universal messenger to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them against sin. But most men understand not. They say; "When will this promise come to pass, if we are telling the truth?" Say: ‘The appointment to you is for a day which ye cannot put back for an hour, nor put forth.’”

These were God's words fourteen hundred years ago. They were proven, and they are true now. God's revelation through the Holy Prophet was not meant for one faith or tribe, one race or set of people. It was meant for all mankind to whom if they turn to God, it is a message of the glad tidings of His mercy. And if they do not turn to Him, it is a warning against sin, and the inevitable punishment. And that punishment does not come immediately as far as they perceive, it's no reason for doubting it, it has been declared in clear and unequivocal terms, and nothing can be more certain.

When that day actually arrives, your period of probation will have passed. It will be too late! Now is the time for action and spiritual profit. Each person is individually and personally responsible for his or her soul. If there is any intercession, it can only be by God's gracious permission. For the Day of Judgment will be a terrible day—a day of wrath. If you put your trust in God and in God alone, you'll belong to one brotherhood, and we all shall see the perfect truth finally when the time comes.

The Jews were the first people to develop a lasting religion based on monotheism. Probably the most famous words setting forth this idea, are contained in a single sentence from the book of Deuteronomy quoting the last words of Moses (the Prophet and great leader of the Jews) as he called on his people to remember God's teaching. “Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Many Christians learned in this translation of the words of the first of the Ten Commandments. “I am the Lord Thy God, Thou shall have no other gods before Me.” The Holy Quran, Surah 2:163, as in many other Surahs says:

“And your God is one God, there is no God but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.”

The highest wrongdoing is to associate other partners with God. This is further illustrated in verse 116 of Surah 4 in the Holy Quran. It says:

“God forgiveth not the sin of joining other god's with Him, but He forgiveth whom He pleases other sins than this. One who joins other God's with God has, strayed far, far away from the right.”

The concept of the trinity, is not of course, available even in the present Bible. There are statements which negated, such as: The Lord our God is one Lord (Matthew 12:29) and several others. The rejection of the idea of God having a Son, is reported with even stronger words in Surah 19:88-93 in the Holy Quran:

“And they say: “The Almighty has taken into Himself a son! You have indeed advanced something hideous. The heavens are rent of it, and the earth split asunder, and the mountains fall down crashing, for that they have attributed to the Merciful a son. And it behooves not the All Merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and the earth, but comes to the All Merciful as a servant.”

Surely, God says the truth. Long before Jesus was born, God said to David, Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, David Thou are my Son; this day have I begotten thee. So David is also God's begotten Son. The meaning of Son of God, is not literal but metaphorical. It can be anyone who is beloved by God. Jesus also said, that God is not only His Father, but also your Father. Matthew 5:45,48, That ye may be sons of your Father...in heaven:...therefore you should be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect. So, in many passages in the Bible, Son of God, which signifies love and affection, nearness to God, is not applied to Jesus alone. You will see sons and daughters of God. 2 Corinthians 6:18 And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. In view of these and other messages in the Bible, there is no reason whatsoever why Jesus should be regarded as Son of God in a literal or unique sense.

The Quran recognizes the fact that Jesus had no human Father. But this does not make him the Son of God. By this criterian Adam would have been more entitled to be the Son of God, because he had neither a Father nor a Mother. So the Quran draws attention to the miraculous creation of both, in the following verse from the Quran. Surah 3:59:

Truly the likeness of Jesus in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness. He created him of dust, then said He unto him, "Be," and he was.

Christ's attributes are mentioned that He was the son of a woman—Mary, and therefore a man. But a messenger, a man with a mission from God, and therefore entitled to honor. A word bestowed on Mary, for He was created by God's Word to be, and he was. A Spirit proceeding from God, but not God. His life and his mission were more limited than in the case of some other messengers, though we must pay equal honor to him as a Prophet of God.

The doctrine of the trinity, equality with God and sonship, are repudiated as blasphemies. God is independent of all needs, and has no need of a Son to manage His affairs. Why is Jesus called in the Holy Quran the son of Mary? What are his clear signs? What is the Holy Spirit by which he was strengthened? Jesus is no more than a man. It is against reason and revelation to call him God, or the Son of God. He is called the son of Mary to emphasize this. He had no human father, as his birth was miraculous. But it was not this which raised him to his high spiritual position as the Prophet, but because God called him to this office, the praise is due to God, who by His Word, gave him Spiritual strength, strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. The miracles which surrounded His story relate not only to his birth and his life and death, but also to his Mother Mary. These were clear signs which he brought. It was those who misunderstood Him, who obscured his clear signs and surrounded him with mysteries of their own invention.

It is worth noting that Jesus never claimed the divinity, even in the present text of the Bible. The expression Son of God, cannot be said to have come from Jesus himself. Hastings in the dictionary of the Bible says: “Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful.” It is common knowledge that the divinity of Jesus was introduced by the Apostle Paul and his followers, and was established on the dead bodies of millions of Christians through history, which evoked the Castillo well known remark: "To burn a man is not to prove a doctrine."